WARWICK, R.I. — A popular incumbent and an energetic political newcomer are facing off in a rare Republican mayoral primary in this predominantly Democratic city.Republican Mayor Scott Avedisian, who...

By Barbara Polichetti

WARWICK, R.I. — A popular incumbent and an energetic political newcomer are facing off in a rare Republican mayoral primary in this predominantly Democratic city.

Republican Mayor Scott Avedisian, who has led the city since 2000, is being challenged by Stacia Petri, who is making her first bid for any public office.

Petri, 43, is a customer representative for Summit Pharmacy, a private, national home-delivery pharmacy service based in Arizona that specializes in service to clients who are on workers’ compensation.

She says that a change of leadership is needed in Warwick and that she will come in with a clean slate, start the budgeting process from scratch and not increase property taxes.

Avedisian, 49, is running solidly on his record, saying that Warwick is a well-managed city that provides its residents with excellent services and continues to welcome new businesses despite a flagging economy.

Primaries are known to be tricky because they have lower turnout than the general election and voters cannot cross party lines.

To vote in the Republican mayoral primary, a resident has to either be a registered Republican or unaffiliated — and the last day to declare or change party affiliation to vote in a Rhode Island primary was Aug. 10.

In Warwick, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than a 3-to-1 ratio, GOP primaries have drawn very few voters in the past, and that means it doesn’t take many votes to win the race.

According to the city’s Board of Canvassers, Warwick has about 19,934 registered Democrats, 6,400 Republicans and 33,544 voters who are not affiliated.

Avedisian last faced a primary challenge in 2010, which he won handily over opponent Richard Langseth. About 2,700 voters cast ballots in that race, with Avedisian capturing 76 percent of the vote.

As in the past, Avedisian is the endorsed Republican candidate.

The winner of the primary will go on to face Democratic candidate John T. Kirby and independent Kevin C. Eisemann. Until recently, it looked as though there was going to be a Democratic mayoral primary, but Carel Callahan Bainum withdrew from the race.

In general elections, Avedisian typically draws bipartisan support, so it remains to be seen if the hotly contested gubernatorial Democratic primary will siphon unaffiliated voters who might otherwise be voting for him in the primary.

Having run in two other primaries during his tenure, Avedisian said his campaign is confident it has identified the voters it needs to get to the polls on Sept. 9.

Petri is also confident, saying that a primary race favors her campaign. “This is totally doable,” she said, adding that she did a lot of research on voter turnout before deciding to take on Avedisian.

According to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the secretary of state’s office on Aug. 12, Avedisian has about $39,700 in his war chest, with contributions coming from a broad base of supporters that includes residents, business owners, city employees and local unions.

Petri has about $2,200, with roughly $1,600 of that coming from money she loaned her campaign. She said she does not think it is right to take money from the unions.

Petri is relying heavily on Facebook to get her message out, and this race could be one of the first tests of how effective social media is in a local campaign.

Petri launched her Facebook page, “Stacia for Mayor of Warwick, RI,” as soon as she declared her candidacy in June.

As of Sunday, her page had earned about 1,190 likes and often generates lively debate as she posts criticisms of Avedisian’s administration and conditions in the city, such as aging school buildings and what she describes as pothole-riddled roads.

Avedisian’s campaign became active on Facebook on July 31 with the page “Avedisian For Mayor of Warwick,” which has garnered 790 likes.

The postings on his page feature local businesses and spotlight the mayor’s activities and accomplishments.

Saying that he takes nothing for granted and still prefers “talking to people face-to-face,” Avedisian is following his past campaign practices of walking neighborhoods, hosting chowder luncheons with older voters and attending evening fundraisers.

Petri is also walking neighborhoods and hosting events to meet voters.

Some of Petri’s key supporters, she said, are part of an unofficial group of active taxpayers who regularly attend City Council and other public meetings. She said she met them at the council meetings and found that they share the belief that residents are not getting satisfactory answers on how the city manages its money and other key issues.

“I question everything,” she said. “The first thing we have to do is open up the books and see what the numbers are,” she said.

“I will do what makes sense,” Petri said. “I believe we can get the job done with a lot less money,” referring to the city budget.

One of her key criticisms of Avedisian is that there has been a tax-rate increase every year he has been in office.

Avedisian says that every year he and his staff break the budget down to the essentials. He said he believes it is in the city’s best interest to have moderate tax increases that accurately reflect the city’s needs, rather than pushing off increases for political reasons only to create more problems later.

“We consistently try to be pragmatic and tell the voters if we need to go up in taxes in order to avoid problems the next year,” Avedisian said. “It’s easy for someone to say they’re not going to raise taxes.”

He noted that during his tenure the state has taken millions away from the city in state aid, and that with good management Warwick has been able to navigate those tough times without any cuts in services, recreation facilities or the library network.

Avedisian said he would continue to be a highly accessible mayor, and he likes that people come up to him in stores and restaurants to tell him if they like the job he’s doing.

The feedback is usually positive, he said, noting that Warwick continues to add to its strong retail base and preserve desirable open space, such as the popular shoreline walking path at Rocky Point.

Regarding the pension debt inherited from decades ago, Avedisian said that three of the city’s four locally run pension plans were ranked as the three top-performing municipal plans in the state by a special state commission charged with overseeing the local plans.

The city’s one troubled plan is a closed plan for police and fire retirees, he said, and the city is about halfway through a 40-year plan to pay off that debt.

“The fact is that the debt has been there for 50 years or more, and we are carefully managing it,” he said. “The city is well on its way to funding that plan.”

Petri has been critical of Avedisian’s approach to the pension debt, saying that all but a few cents of every new tax dollar is needed for that obligation.

She said that pension costs have to be reined in and that she would ask retirees to negotiate concessions with the city.

Avedisian said that with Petri focusing on what she thinks is wrong with the city, he does not want people to forget to celebrate what’s right about Warwick: fiscally well-managed, affordable to live in compared with other cities, excellent services, and many exciting projects being launched, such as the redevelopment of downtown Apponaug, he said.

“I believe our best days are ahead,” Avedisian said. “We have a lot of things coming together that will add to this our already rich and vibrant city.”

Petri says people are telling her they want a change.

She describes herself as “fearless, driven, passionate” and “more than qualified” to run the city.

“I will listen to people,” Petri said, adding that she thinks more local tax dollars should be going to senior services, schools and road repair.